Alice Nine - Fan Club Only - Concert

(More posts to come, about older goings-on, but since I had this one written already, I decided to go ahead and post it)

July 5th was the Alice Nine Fan Club Only ‘FLASH LIGHT from the Past’ concert. In hindsight, it really wasn’t all that different than other Alice Nine concerts, not to say I didn’t have a blast! Tour merchandise, as always, went on sale earlier than admission, starting at 3 o’clock. The various members of Alice Nine had actually designed special T-shirts for this fan club only concert, all but Tora’s using photographs Hiroto himself had taken (his shirt actually had a picture of his own lips on it, though it was graphic-designed up to look trendy and flashy). Unfortunately, not wanting to wait around for 3 ½ hours, I decided to wait until 4 to go, and by the time I got there, all the T-shirts were sold out. : (

I might mention that on top of rain, the humidity was about 130% on top of the 90 something degree temperature outside and everyone, packed in the first floor of Shibuya O-East, trying to stay out of the rain, was sweaty and all but melting. I was lucky in managing to secure a locker (though it cost $3 every time you open it), so for the first time ever, I didn’t have any baggage when I went into the venue.

Because of the sheer number of people packed in, they started admitting everyone a little early, and with ticket number 435, I was let in well before half of the crowd got through. Earlier, when I bought my obligatory towel, pamphlet and other goods, I had to get my ticket stamped and show my Fan Club ID card, so by the time I got up the stairs, it was no time before I was in the venue.

After a minimal amount of weasel-ing my way through the crowd, I managed to get closer to the stage than I ever have at any concert ever. I was dead center, fourth person from the stage (though by the end of it, I was a bit farther back). I met a nice Canadian girl who lives here, and we chatted for the remaining time before the live kicked off. As is always the way, the concert didn’t start on time, but after a 15 min. delay, the lights went off, everyone screamed, and a piercing, blinding, rotating circle of lights shot out toward the audience. In due time, the members came on stage.

I won’t give the blow-by-blow of every song and everything that happened, as the concert was 3 ½ hours long and it would take forever (and I’d be sure to forget something any way). But, suffice it to say, I was close enough to see the sweat running down their faces, the intricate detailing on their costumes, and the glitter on Saga’s half exposed chest (that’s Saga for you).

At one point, toward the end, Shou attempted a stage dive that didn’t quite work out since no one was really expecting it and it turned out being a surprise to everyone involved. Had I been adamant enough, like some people, I could have leapt over the tiny Asian next to me and touched his arm or something, but I heeded the advice of the stage hand when he asked everyone to get back and helped Shou back on stage. After that, during the encore, Saga attempted a stage dive and pulled it off successfully. For my part, I’m not much of a mosher or headbanger myself, but that didn’t stop me from getting shoved around and stepped on until I bled (my poor shoe choice for the night didn’t help). But who am I kidding, it was SO worth it.

The Mcing was long and I can’t really remember much of what was said. Saga talked about his computer, Nao talked about Akihabara, Hiroto talked about his photos and designing the T-shirts, Tora hardly talked at all. Same old, same old. However, at one point the band made as if they were going to go off stage, and then, as Nao, always the last to exit, was about to disappear behind the curtain, he jogged backwards to his place behind the drums, and in due time, Saga came back out and, taking up his bass, led a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You.’ It was Shou’s birthday after all, and as Tora pushed him back out on stage, from the opposite side, Hiroto and their manager came wheeling out a two tier cake decorated with tall, lit candles. The band and the audience sang another chorus, the lights dimmed, and Shou blew out the candles, or at least attempted to. Everyone congratulated him and Hiroto handed him a fan which was decorated on one side with Shou’s angel bunny, and on the other had all the bands icon characters. Shou had to use this to extinguish the few obstinate, straggling candles that remained lit. It came out then that Nao had hand made the cake, and upon looking at it closer from my standpoint, I could just make out the homemade-ish icing job, and the green gel flowers decorating the sides. Shou stuck his finger in it and pulled out a chunk, tasting it and proclaiming it delicious, then after saying he was so happy about the homemade cake (‘Meccha Ureshi desu’), he jogged up behind the drums and gave Nao a hug. There was a little more talking, then Shou started singing Happy Birthday again, and everyone was baffled. Confused as we were, the audience took up the song halfway through and discovered, by Shou’s lead, that we were singing this time for Saga, who’s birthday just passed. Then, from the side of the stage where Shou had earlier emerged, their manager wheeled out another cake with candles, unlit, that was covered with roses and carnations. Hiroto stepped forward to light the candles and Nao explained how everyone felt bad that Saga’s birthday didn’t fall on the day of a concert (nor does Hiroto’s it would seem, as he proclaimed himself jealous), and so they thought they’d make up for it tonight by celebrating it then. Saga, embarrassed, protested that they shouldn’t have gone through the trouble, then blew out the candles and received his fan, saying he’d been suspicious of Hiroto for a while, thinking he might have something planned.

After that the concert got underway again. Shou, in reference to a promise months ago in a magazine interview he’d done with Tora, actual did some Djing with two turntables that had been set up on stage, playing with the commercial jingle for Meiji chocolate (the choco-la-to song). That got everyone stirred up again.

They finished with an encore of heavy songs and after exiting the stage, the lights stayed off and two big screams began playing the music video for ‘Senkou,’ which was phenomenal and only reconfirms my suspicions of it being my all time favorite Alice Nine song. (During the concert, they had also played the other new songs on their new, unreleased album, btw). After the video was over, there was a short montage of pictures of Nao, with his red hair and oversized sunglasses, baking Shou’s cake, and then the lights went up and it was over.

Standing there I felt like I was either going to suffocate or die from the heat (you were pretty much drinking in body heat the whole 3 ½ hours without letup, but thankfully, it didn’t take too long for everyone to filter out.

Instead of spending the money on train fare, I decided to go ahead and walk through the heat back home, since the venue was already sort of down that direction. From downtown Shibuya, it takes about 25 min. to walk to my apartment, but I decided I’d much rather contend with the heat at a slow pace, then with packed trains in Shibuya, and since it wasn’t raining, I just walked home. After stopping by the conbini (convenience store) across the street from my place and buying the customary soda, carton of Jasmine Tea, small individual ice cream and spicy udon with gyoza that you just heat up (the same thing I get after every concert, without fail), I hurried into my cool apartment and collapsed.

やった！

Today's word of the day is: Ureshii, which means happy. Why? Because I just got back from Alice Nine's last concert on this, their "Reason of Geometry" tour. And while I won't give you the blow-by-blow of this concert, because you're probably tired of hearing concert details, I will say that 1) Tora sang a song (something no one ever thought he would do), 2) I got to hear them play "Q" live (which I never thought would happen since it's older an not a hit, making that a highlight of... my life) and 3) they made their announcement.

Since the tail end of March, the Alice Nine official homepage has had a countdown leading to tonight, when there would be a big announcement. There for a while, a lot of us were thinking it might be a breakup (from how the guys were acting [reminiscent and what not]), but in fact, it was the best news you could imagine. Of course, as expected, there's a new album coming out in August, and a tour starting at in July that will run for four months, into October (which is impressive in and of itself. But then came the big news, the big suprise. The tour finale for the new tour, will be at... the Nippon Budokan! Everyone there tonight was so happy, applauding, crying, calling out congrats. It was all anounced one the curtain had fallen on the concert (literally), and was a video that told us all. Now, if you aren't into Jrock, you might not understand what a big deal this is. The Nippon Budokan is the Madison Square Garden of Japan/Tokyo. Like the Royal Albert Hall of London, the Sydney Opera House of Australia (I think). Only the best of the best can fill the Budokan. Because Visual Kei is still a young, growing genre, not many VK bands ever achieve enough success to merit having a concert at the Budokan, it would set them back financially. The Gazette (who has 2 days booked there in July), and a few others are exceptions. But Alice Nine has never been popular enough for their company, PS Company, to play there. By playing at the Budokan, it shows that Alice Nine has finally made it as a band, in a big way. After five long, hard years, they've finally achieved what so few in their business can. And I am so happy for them. A9, congrats!!

Fangirlism

Well, today I dipped into true fangirlism. I did what only a groupie would do. I became a true fan girl for a day, and even I think I was insane. Let me set the stage. Probably the coldest freaking day of the freaking year: overcast and windy and me in a thin top, a coat and leggings. You see, I was going to Harajuku because Alice Nine was going to be at a taping of a radio program there, and as it’s only like 10 min. away by train, and as I promised myself that while I was in Japan I would do everything fan girl/see Alice Nine as many times as humanly possible, since I may not get to ever again, so I went. You see, the studio is a station called Ameba, which is typically a blog hosting site (for famous and non-famous people alike), and they have a radio station which they tape and stream online. Well, they’d been advertising for some time that Shou, Hiroto and Tora were going to be there today for a show from 5:30 to 6:15, and if you wanted, you could potentially get tickets and watch. Awesome, right? Well, we’ll see.

So they rules, or guidelines if you like, were to line up at 11 am, at 12 noon they let everyone in line pick a number out of a box, and the people with numbers 1-350 got a chance to watch. Okay, an hour isn’t so bad, right? Well, of course, being the OCD person that I am, I show up at like 10:30, but there’s already a line, so whatever, right. Freezing my butt off. Freezing my butt off. Freezing my butt off. And we hit 12. Still nothing. Two young men dressed in snazzy black jackets and scarves (one who was the spitting image of Lee Jun Ki but with deep blue, almost imperceptible streaks in his hair), come down the line with one of those clicker counter things, and looking behind me is a line of probably 900 people in all. (So 1 in 3 get to go, right?) Anyways. These two young men spend another 40 freaking minutes sporadically telling us to scrunch up, or move back, or move over out of the way (since we’re on the sidewalk). Also, from time to time they come by to explain the rules, though in the most polite Japanese there is, so I don’t understand a word. And I’m freezing my butt off. Freezing my butt off. A lane of traffic beside us is cordoned off and then a very strange procession makes its way down the street: a few dudes dressed as ghosts howling, a few people waving flags that I’m only guessing had to do with graduation (it’s that time of year), and others with megaphones making some fervent speech about something I couldn’t catch. It was all quite strange. And I’m freezing my butt off. And I’m freezing my butt off. Freezing… Finally a girl comes up with a makeshift box with a hole in the top and I’m told to pull out a number. I look down at it and it has #197 written on it, a time (16:45) and a bunch of rules in Kanji I can’t read. So, I’m assuming they have the winning 350 numbers up somewhere (at this point I thought it was just a regular luck-of-the-draw lotto you see. So I go up to the Ameba front window (it faces onto the street), but instead of numbers, there are only polaroids signed by celebrities. I notice how everyone else has broken off and are going all ways, so I go home to wait it out til 4.

Come 4:30 It’s now even colder. I go, expecting a line or at least people checking some sort of board with numbers on it and still I find nothing. I walk around until the allotted 4:45 and notice a huge line of about 350 people that somehow I’d missed before. It still has not dawned on me that people who drew numbers under 351 were good to go, so I went up to a girl managing the line who worked there, showed her my ticket and asked where the crap I was supposed to go. Evidentally we were lining up in order, and after a few tries, I found my place. And we waited and it got dark and it got colder and I’m freezing my butt off again. Freezing my butt off. Freezing my butt off. It’s 5:15, the show starts at 5:30 and nothing’s happening and I’m freezing my butt off. Why aren’t we going in? Freezing, freezing, freezing, 5:30, freezing, freezing, 5:35, what-ho we’re moving. But… Alas… We’re not going inside. Now previous to this last 2 + hours of standing, I had wondered to myself just where they were going to fit 350 people in such a small looking building. Oh where indeed. I was in for a bit of a disappointment. Rather than getting to go in somewhere, sit down and watch the entire 45 min. performance, they were cutting us into groups and moving us in front of the window for 5 min. spans of time. Oh yes. 4+ hours of waiting for 5 min. I was slightly saddened at this discover. My toes were numb, my cheeks chapped, my hands now red with cold and I was freezing my butt off. It was dark by now and colder than it had been and I could have sworn I felt miniscule raindrops. Was this really worth it? Was it indeed. I was leaning towards no. And then, my turn came and we got to up to the window and there sat Tora (ever cool, with his shades on), Hiroto and Shou, all smiles and laughter, as close as if we were sitting on opposite couches. By the way yes, I AM a lunatic/dork/insert-word-here. Of course they were answering questions fans had sent in, and while Hiroto went on about his spoilt Pomeranian (which admittedly made me love him a little more), Shou spent his time looking at the crowd, each and every one, and being the overall sweetheart that I find him to be, even taking time out to get up in the window and read some letter a girl had plastered up there for him to see. What was really so cool about it was, first of all getting to see them upclose (and yes, they do look just as good as they do in the pictures), but also to actually interact with them, making eye contact, waving to each other, etc., which you don't get to do really at lives.

So anways, there was lots of fun chit-chat and laughter and then, when our 5 min. were up, we were all ushered out of the cordoned off space, the fans (myself included) waving goodbye and the guys all waving back. And that was it. Yes, that was all. All that time in the blustery, wintery weather for a brief 5 min. But yes, it was totally worth it. I tell you now, it was worth it. That being said, it was the most fan-girly thing I’ve ever done and I probably won’t do it again, but still… I’m glad I did. Granted, by the time I got back to my apartment, I literally couldn’t feel my toes, but a piping hot bath and two cans of warm coffee took care of that easily enough.

On quite another note (and sorry, this post is turning out long), you remember my last post about old KimuTaku? (If not, refer below). Well, I’ve broken down and decided to watch one of his more famous dramas to see if it furthers or retards my liking of him. In fact, I’ve taken up two (Gift and Beautiful Life), but have decided to start with the latter, as, from the description of Gift, I’m afraid it would sully my already shaky impression of him (you see, I watched Million Stars Fall From The Sky, and that just wasn’t alright). But, much to my chagrin, Beautiful Life is a terminal illness storyline (you just knew it would be). At least it has the decency though, to tell you right at the beginning, basically, “I’m/you’re dead now, let’s reflect on our past relationship” rather than moving things along and then boom, hitting you with the low blow of surprise cancer/leukemia/insert-terminal-illness-here. (I didn’t mean that to sound harsh). So I’m probably setting myself up for a fall, but I tried Pride once before and since I don’t like hockey, I couldn’t get into it. Well, getting back to what I’d originally wanted to say, in the description of Beautiful Life, on top of saying she’s in a wheelchair, he’s not, they like each other and try to cope (which is the premise from the get-go), it says they’re drawn closer together by a terrible car accident. Well that’s just great! So I’m now halfway through episode 6 and for the first time, they’re in the car TOGETHER, and of course it’s raining and they’re fighting and I just know it’s about to happen and I’m finding it difficult to push through. I suppose I’ll find a way to muscle through it, but I really just don’t want to. Well, we’ll see what progress I make. Anywho… tomorrow my host brother and his girlfriend are taking me to what they call an Izakaya (which basically is a place where you go after work to drink and have appetizers, sorta like a bar but classier), called The Lockup, though from what I’ve heard about The Lockup, it’s not so much (or at all really) an Izakaya as it is a themed restaurant. I’m not so sure about this place. But they want to go so hey, if they’re willing to take me, why protest? Anyway, I’ll blog about that later. Above is a picture from the taping (which I nabbed from a person called mandramoddle, so thanks to her for that). Well, talk to you cats later!

Excuses...

What ho there everyone! So yet again, I've been slacking in my blogging duties. Lately I've been busy with a myriad of both good and bad events. First of all, a lady in my tea class died just the other day, which was rather upsetting as she was a lovely lady and it came as quite a shock to us all. Also, I underwent my first noticeable earthquake. It took place two prefectures up from Tokyo (sorta like states), and registered as a 6 on the scale I think, though it was strong enough here to shake the clothes in my closet. Suffice it to say, it was thoroughly unsettling and I'm hoping it won't happen again, though, as Japan is prone to earthquakes, I'm probably wishing
in vain.

On the more positive side of things, the neighbor lady's twins (3 yrs. old) have started taking hour long classes with my host dad, learning the basics like 1+1=2, sharing, not hitting, etc., and I've been enlisted to sit in on the class and act as English teacher. So far we've learned animals and nature terms. Really, more than anything I'm acting as babysitter than teacher, but they're good, fun kids so it's all good. Plus I get lunch out of it everyday. Also in good news, I went to
Alice Nine's first concert on their new tour and... they gave us all a special treat by playing a
song they're still in the process of recording in the studio. All I can say is, it has the potential to be my new favorite. As always, the concert was great, and because the venue was small, the sound was loud and pretty much awesome. Also, because it was their first tour performance in some time, all the guys were absolutely jazzed, which made the concert all the more fun. And, unlike in the other concerts I've been to, each one took time out to talk to the audience. So, to keep from boring you, I'll stop there by saying it was freaking great.

The aforementioned concert was in a place called Kawasaki which is actually not in Tokyo, but to the south of it, and the easiest way to get there is to use the Tokaido line. HOWEVER, this train is not like other trains and very nearly threw me for a loop. What I didn't realize was that the Tokaido line is used mainly for people who are going WAY out of Tokyo, and because of this, most of the cars are reserved seating (kinda like the Bullet Train), and you have to have a special ticket. The regular train is only in the first 3 or 4 cars, while all the rest are specially reserved. It even had a few double-decker cars. Very strange. It got me all confused. So, to those using the Tokaido line, beware, or rather be aware.

Lastly, I'm going the day after tomorrow to pick up my kimono, so that should be fun. I won't promise to update soon, but if anything interesting befalls me, I shall. I seem to be lazy nowadays so I don't want to promise anything. And I promise to take some more pictures pretty soon. The Cherry Blossoms are just about to bloom and then there will be an influx of pictures, I promise. Until then, check out the new song I'm obsessed with at the moment. It's by a Korean boy band called Beast/B2st, who I'm assuming are popular with the younguns, though I'm so out of touch with Kpop these days, I really am not sure. And you might have noticed I changed the layout again. I thought I'd make it fit the colors/feel of A9's new tour, "Reason of Geometry," plus I was getting bored of the blue and yellow. Well, until later, Ciao!

Live going in Japan

So, instead of blogging about different stuff that I haven't blogged about before, like me going to a soiree (if that's how you spell it), last weekend, I'm going to bore you yet again with my concert-going experience. I won't bore you with the details in full, but last night was Alice Nine's last live of 2009, White Period II at Shinkiba. In following the band's request that everyone where white (as it was the theme), I don't think I saw a single person there who didn't have white on, so that was so awesome. The band opened with a cover of The Beatles' song "All You Need is Love," then did a lot of their lesser known/rarely played live songs. They did another few covers, one of some Japanese song, and then that song that goes, "You're just too good to be true...Can't take my eyes off of you..." Anyways. And Shou sang Silent Night (in Japanese), Saga played an acoustic version of either Armor Ring or Mugen no Hana (can't remember) on the guitar, they all came down to the edge of the extended stage (where I was) and played a song after having a little talk session and everyone hugging everyone. It was all a lot of fun, though they did play a lot of their heavier songs (or maybe it just seemed that way since I had a moshing lunatic beside me). But anyways, it was nice and long and wonderful, and got me to thinking up a list of things to know when you go to a Visual Kei (or perhaps any) concert in Japan.
Things to Know:
1. Even when tickets are for standing room only, it's no use showing up early, because they let people in one at a time according to the number on their ticket (learned this out the hard way by showing up crazy early for a concert). Thus, you might want to know what your ticket's number sounds like in Japanese when you go.
2. The concert will always, without fail, start late. How late, however, changes, ranging from 10-30 min. or so.
3. When you buy merchandise, they won't give you a bag to put it in, so either bring your own, or buy one there (which is probably why they don't give you one: to make more money)
4. At the door, you are expected to pay a mandatory $5.00, that is 500 Yen fee for a drink ticket, which you then can exchange at the bar for whatever is on their list (though the most popular drink is probably water bottles)
5. Almost all songs have accompanying hand movements that coordinate with the rhythm, and which can be quite disconcerting the first few times you go to a live, but which you gradually pick up on as you gain more experience.
6. Rather than clapping (though sometimes you do), or trying to grab the singers on stage, fans show their love by stretching their arms out in a hand gesture which is supposed to simulate a sakura bud blossoming.

To be sure, there are other things that I've forgotten, as I'm in a flurry right now, but I suppose I can always add them later. Suffice it to say, it has been a learning experience, as has everything else here. You probably won't hear from me for a few days, since my family is coming to visit, but I'll post again when I can!

Johnny's Stores

Hey there everyone! It's getting kind of late here and I still have homework, so this post won't be very long, but I thought I should post a description of what I affectionately term the "Johnnys Stores" of Harajuku. If you come to Japan and no any idols, be they singers or actors or talents or whatever, I encourage you to at least go in one of these places, these 'Johnny Stores,' just for the experience. The only place I've found them is in the Takeshita Street of Harajuku (directly in front of the station). Typically these stores are either on the second floor or the basement of other shops, and they are so particular, you know you've found one the second you see the sign, simply because you look up and see Arashi's faces, or Yamapi's face, Tohoshinki, even X-Japan's Hide, staring down at you from mini posters, trying to coax you inside. I've been in two of these said shops, one actually strictly being a Johnnys shop, where in glass cases, are goods categorized by band, starting from the earlier Tokio, SMAP, and Kinki Kids, making their way around to KATTUN and Hey!Say!Jump, with all the Johnnys boys being represented in some capacity. That store actually had gift bags with the bands names on them, phone straps, DVDs and CDs of course, and pictures, as well as photo books and random other merchandise. The second I went into was far more enthralling and far more bizarre. You go down a flight of dangerously steep stairs to a basement, and as soon as you walk in, you are bombarded with faces of all kinds. From floor to ceiling, the shop (about the size of a large master bathroom), is completely covered with 4x6 candid photos of Japanese and Korean idols. I instantly found my way to the Jrock section where I found an alice nine fan I wanted, then made my way around the rest of the shop. The Johnnys bands were clustered together of course, the Jrockers together, the Korean corner (Ryu Siwon, Bae Yong Joon, DBSK, etc.), and then other idols and talents as well. From the ceiling are hanging fans with various boys' faces on them, and on the pillars at various places, hang laminated mini-posters the size of a large place mat that are hanging on a metal chain like keys on a keychain. What made the place even more interesting, is how you buy things. First of all, everything was REALLY cheap, with a fan being about $4, and the mini posters being about the same, whereas a regular picture might cost a dollar or so. Once you've found something you like, you take a pen and a blank slip of paper hanging in baskets around the edge of the room, and you find the code on whatever it is you're wanting to buy (usually written across the middle of it in permanent marker. You write all the codes down on the slip of paper, then proceed to the back of the store where there is a tiny hole cut out of the wall of pictures, about the size of a microwave, and easy to miss. You hand your slip of paper to the lady beyond (she can't see you, you can't see her), and she goes to look up your stuff. While she's bagging it, she calls out the total and you put your money in the tray in the window and take your stuff. All very anonymous. I, of course, got an armband, a fan and two posters of Alice Nine, and I know that I'll eventually be going back for more. Anyways, that's all for now. I'll post again as soon as I can!

V-Rock Fest '09 Day 2!!!

Well, let’s see, where did I last leave off? I think I got through the first day of my V-Rock Fest, right? So then, I suppose for continuity, I’ll start this e-mail with the second day. Well, truth is, I’d set my clock so I would get up in time to take the hour ride over there and be at the place with about 30 min. of cushion time before the first band started (of course they would put a band I want to see first!), but unfortunately, the fatigue and hairspray of the night before kept me glued to my pillow a half an hour after the alarm went off. So, rather than waste time dolling myself up for a dark concert hall, I sort of tried to attempt to get a brush halfway through my hair, through on a longsleeved shirt and vest (I’d wisened up from the day before), and headed out, and quite luckily, I got there in time and walked right in and they started. The first band was Kagrra, and they really put on a good show. Because their style is traditional with fans and kimonos, the lightshow made them look even more awesome; I was rather crestfallen to find out later that at their merchandise booth they didn’t actually sell fans with the logo on it (and why they don’t, I can’t understand since that’s their symbol and all their human fans bring fans with them to the concert). Oh well. I can’t remember who all I saw after that (I’d have to look at my booklet), but I bought some merchandise and then, despite the fact that I’d expected it to be a boring day (most of the bands were little name, independent groups), I think the second day was actually more fun than the first. Part of it probably was the fact that I didn’t have to stand around for 2 and a half hours for it to start, so it seemed to move faster. The only downside was that there were a lot of screaming/loud bands, which isn’t my style at all. But I did get to see Kra, (adorable with his little scarf and hat and corderoy jacket), Ayabie (who seemed to get along real well together), Duel Jewel (by far the most fun band to watch, full of energy and laughs), Daizystripper (fun in a nutball sort of way), Angelo (very aging rockstar) and then other bands I don’t care about like Sadie (screamer), D (crazy red eyes and black leather), Plastic Tree (the only person there on drugs), some Japanese lady I wasn’t keen on, and some really old fellow with long, princess-y hair that more or less only played guitar, despite having four other guitarists with him; he changed guitars every time and each was gaudier than the last (like the Liborache of guitars). I did sort of see Vidoll, though I was farther away and somewhat tired by that point. And, oh my gosh, I saw LM.C, the band that I was supposed to get to see in Texas (the ones I actually WENT to Texas to see), and who couldn’t make it because of swine flu. So I got to see them and they were…amazing. I mean, amazing. Fun and wacky and totally wonderful and energetic and I hope I get to go to a real concert of theirs. I mean, the lights dimmed and the ‘We will, we will rock you’ song started, done in lamb ‘baa’s, and then their mascot guy, with the silvery skullish mask thing came out on those bouncy stilts, and everyone filed out and they sang Oh My Juliet. And Aiji looked crazy awesome and played crazy awesome. I mean, anyone who can play Fur Elise on his electric guitar, wins in my book. They sang Oh My Juliet and Funny Fantom and something else that I can’t remember the name of where everyone on stage got a searchlight and they dimmed the big lights and everyone was moving around on stage with their flashlights. They sang about five songs and closed with Rock the LM.C (of course). While Maya was running around singing, the skull mascot guy was bouncing around on his stilts, the crew was inflating a twenty foot tall rabbit balloon (like their logo), and Aiji was standing all cool center stage while more crew members stood behind him on either side waving mock Japanese flags of black and red. It was truly freaking awesome! So, that was my favorite part of day two. After LM.C, I immediately went over to the other stage and plotted out my spot for The Gazette (they were playing last), even though it was over two hours before they came on, and it was a good thing I did, because the place filled up in no time. The only thing that kept anyone away was the fact that Versailles was playing in the other room. So I stood around for…ever, until finally a bunch of red lights started flashing over the audience, and the red “The Gazette” banner was lit up on the stage and one by one, amid gutteral growls (something that is particular to Gazette fans to imitate that growly scream Ruki does I guess) Kai came out with his fake dread locks or whatever their supposed to be, and then Uruha (looking good but not as good as I’d expected; much more manly), then Reita and Aoi (who looked a lot cooler than I’d expected; he cut an amazing silhouette when they lit the stage up behind him red), and finally the most popular of all, Ruki, came out with his weird neck makeup thing that he does, and his hair crimped, wearing an inverted version of what Shou had worn the day before. And then, without any further ado, they started in on Filth in the Beauty (the only song I actually wanted to see). Now, The Gazette is loud, and their fans like to headbang, and I do not like to headbang, which presents a problem. I’d been very tempted to leave early, but had vowed to stay because I would never get another chance to see them live (I certainly wouldn’t go to a full concert), so I did stay, but about halfway through, when I was past ready to bug out, I glanced behind me to see hundreds upon hundreds of people and no way out. So I stayed. It wouldn’t have really been so bad except, I don’t really know any Gazette songs but three, and they only played one of those, and with everyone packed in like sardines, especially jumping around and slinging their hair around, it was hot. It was beyond hot. The entire two days I had been warm, but I hadn’t sweat. I was sweating. I mean, I was finally glad to be tall so that I could at least get some air. The Gazette was the only band that had people actually passing out. I mean, it was the same temperature as the bathroom is when you’ve taken a steamy shower, before you give up and open the door to let air in. For two hours. They played longer than anyone else, and they came back for an encore. On the upside, they were really good, and very kakkoii (cool) and Ruki was less grrr than I’d expected him to be. So anyways, after that we all filed out (at least it wasn’t raining this time), and as is usual in Japan, all along the walk back, the path was lined with guys giving out tissue packets and pamphlets (though different than usual was that they were all young guys in independent jrock bands giving out pamphlets for their bands. And then I got in the train with everyone else and made my way back home, exhausted. But it was so much fun! And though it's the wrong day, here's the comment part of Alice Nine's performance:

V-Rock Fest '09!!!

So, first of all, I apologize for not posting in a while. I keep meaning to do it, but then I get busy with teh tons of books my professors are giving me, or trying to get yet more money issues worked out over here. Btw, if you bring a money order, have someone else fill it ALL out from your US (or wherever) address to you Japanese address. If you fill this info out, they won't cash you international postal money order. So, that's good to know. I also learned how to buy tickets from the ticket machine at the Lawson's convenience store. There was a step by step guide I found on one of their sites that shows you exactly what to push, though it's all in Japanese. If you're coming over here and need help, just PM me. Anywho, so yes, today was the first day of my 2 day Visual Kei Rock Festival. Very exiting. I started out small, watching a small indie band called Toon Factory, then SuG on one of the minor stages in a different hall, then quickly perused what little merchandise they had (I could only see stuff that said VROCK FEST on it, not band merchandise), and then I went into the main hall where they have to huge stages set up, side by side. I got in the fairly empty area for Kra, and watched the other stage diagonally while Penicillin rocked out in that old rock star fashion. Then Kra came on and played about 6 songs/30 min., playing harder songs that I thought they would. After that, I fought my way over to the stage on the right, where hours from then, I would get to watch alice nine. What surprised me is that people didn't really pack in ahead of time, and they aren't all trying to weasel their way up front. Everyone at the concert today just came up to the back of the mass and was content where they were, and didn't really get close to each other either.

I have to say that one thing that was hard to get used to, was the hand movements. I mean, I'd heard that the Japanese rock people did this, and thought I knew enough to get by, but let me tell you, there's a lot of pressure with all the frickin' hand movements the fans do at practically every chord change in the song. Sometimes the band will show you what to do (I now know what Shou's doing in the concerts; before I thought he was just flailing around). Anyways, I watched Jealkb on my stage, watched D diagonally and was overpowered by the loudness. I also saw Angelo diagonally (quite good, and he tried to pass all the members off as 26, though they're well over that). Oh, and diagonally I saw Plastic Tree, whose singer was the only one there who was on drugs, which I guess isn't to bad, when you've got that many bands. He was flailing around and didn't know what he was talking about, and playing with some umbrella, but that's what that band is about I guess, so whatever. Their music was good though. On the stage I was at, I watched, like I said, Jealkb, and then Breakerz (with Daigo, a TV talent). He was actually rather charming indeed, and apologized for being the only band not 'Visual Kei' at the Visual Kei concert, but insisted that he'd put on some eyeliner for the occasion, and had the camera man zoom in to show it. His songs were, naturally, a little more poppy, but it was fun, and he actually taught the audience a dance before hand, so I wasn't fumbling around, watching the people beside me to figure out what to do. Of course, the reason I watched Breakerz, was not for Daigo, but for Akihide, the guitarist, who is also the guitarist for Acid Black Cherry. I secretly have a crush on him, as he reminds me in the face of a younger Hyde, from L'arc en Ciel. He and Daigo were singing a part together when Daigo laid a big wet one on him and everyone laughed. So, that was entertaining and they really seemed happy to be there. After that, was Alice Nine...

Because the standing room area things mostly empties out after every performance, I managed to get almost to the front bar, but as time drew closer, I depated on trying to get through the special line that lets you go up to the very front of the stage, and after about 10 min. of debating, I bit the bullet and went over to the guy with the Staff shirt on, and he let me through to the crowd at the front of the stage. And then Alice Nine came out. And they were amazing. There was a slight Microphone mishap at the beginning, but Hiroto (sporting a bleached hair style I don't love), took centerstage while the Crew worked on show, and then everything went smooth. They looked amazing, just like they do in the pictures (so did SuG); just gorgeous. Shou was in a sparkly red shirt with scarf covered by a sparkly black jacket; Nao was in Red, but never really got any limelight; Tora was looking spiffy in dark gray pants and a dark greenish/grayish jacket; Saga was in a black shirt, some weird Hammer black pants and a white leather jacket with his hair teased out a mile, and Hiroto was in hot pink pants and a white vest (I think). They first played The Beautiful Name, then went into Rainbows, then some song which I know, but the name of which I've forgotten, then their old classic, Shunkashutou, then GGG (can't remember the full title off hand; three words starting with G), which was the head banging song, then finished with something Shichigatsu Nanoka (again, can't remember all of the long title off hand), which we got to sing along with. They were amazing live, as good as on the CD, and Shou was all smiles, and everything was great. After watching them, I filed back into the regular standing area to wait for Abingdon Boys School (watched Plastic Tree diagonally), and then finally ABS came on, and much to my surprise, they put on the best show of all (minus A9, of course), and it was PACKED with people, both sides brimming more than they had for anyone else, which I hadn't expected at all. Their stage set up was cute; follwoing the english theme, the stand/step thing for TM (the vocalist), was fashioned like a Mini Cooper, complete with working headlights that were part of the light show. TM turned out to be a good MC too, quite charming and friendly, and he spoke in the most formal language, which was strange I thought. I knew most of their songs, but by the end of their set (they'd started late and ran long), I was about ready to go. Starving, thirsty, with a headache and a backache, all I wanted to do was go home, but I pushed myself to go outside where, according to a map, there were more goods to be had. When I'd seen earlier in the day that there was no band merchandise, suffice it to say, I was a bit disappointed, but as I trudged out from the oven-like, smoky sauna (the air was a hazy gray inside), and into the rainy outdoors, I found a line of stalls, all with a band name on the top, where you could buy their stuff. I, of course, opted for alice nine, and bought a hoodie, a phone strap and a water bottle thing, all vastly overpriced. I debated over getting an Abingdon Boys School towel or something, but eventually realized I'd spent too much on the alice nine stuff already, so I didn't get anything else. Well, that's the news for now. Tomorrow is round two and another really long day because they've put the bands I most want to see as first and last, so there's no skipping out on Marilyn Manson tomorrow. Well, again, sorry it's taken so long for me to post, and sorry I don't have any pics (they won't let you take them inside). Talk to you again soon!

I'm Still Alive

Heyo! I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd do it tonight. I've been cramming in kanji flashcards all weekend and have processed about 100, logging them away in my brain, but I've got about a million left, so we'll see how that goes. The countdown is on. I've got about 3 weeks left and I'm really starting to freak out. The packing is still not going as ideally as one might hope, so we'll see how/if that turns out. The thing I wanted to post before was about takkyubin. These are services similar to FedEx or UPS in that they go all over town and deliver pretty much anything. The great thing is that, not only do they ship small packages, but they can ship bicycles and luggage (even from the airport to your hotel/personal residence and back). I've heard that the prices are relatively reasonable and the time for delivery is usually either same day or next day unless you're shipping it beyond the city you're in. (For instance, if you're in Tokyo and traveling on the bullet to Kyoto, you can ship your stuff a day or two ahead and it will be there waiting, thus ridding you of having to heave around bags on a train). The only snag is that I'm not sure if you have to call ahead and get the arrangements done, or if you can do them when you arrive at the airport, so we'll see. I'm hoping it's the latter so I don't have three bags to haul around on my own in a cramped, rush hour train to the busiest stop in Tokyo. Alright, enough of my whining. Alice Nine's new pv came out, "Sleepwalker." I'd heard great things about it, but I have to admit that I'm not wild about the song, though the video is beyond gorgeous and the guys all look consistently good. And lastly, I will try to upload a pic of a Takuhaibin application form and a typical train ticket to help show anyone who might go to Japan, what they'll need to look at/fill out. I'll try to do that soon. Until then, ttyl and wish much luck with Sensei tomorrow!

Today's Alice Nine Member: Hiroto

Greetings everyone! So, I suppose I'll continue in order of my banner up there ^ and profile Hiroto today. I have to admit that I know the least about Saga and Hiroto (mostly Saga), but I'll tell you what I do know. Hiroto is the other guitarist in alice nine (along with Tora), and to my knowledge does not play any other instrument but guitar. He is in fact the youngest member of the band, and his ability to be a nonstop ball of energy is surely a testament to that. He was born May 4, 1985 (which would make him 24 now), as Ogata Hiroto, which means that he is the only member of alice nine to keep his real name. (He does have a nickname, Pon, and, like Tora has a cartoon that acts as his symbol which fans have named the Pondori, because it looks like a chicken). Over the years he has grown up under the guidance of his fellow members, and in that time, his talent and his personality has matured greatly. Where once he was the semi-shy, almost quiet talent, he now likes to steal the limelight when he can to show off just how amazing he is on guitar, rallying the audience with his encouraging yells. Despite his transformation into a bit of a ham, Hiroto could never be labeled anything but devoted to his friends and his fans, often times the most affectionate of all the members. As a sidebar it is fair to mention that Hiroto is desperately good friends with Aki, the bassist from Sid, whom he feels so close to, he calls him Aki nii-nii (which means big brother). Not only is Hiroto the youngest of the group, but he is also the shortest member. But following with the stereotype, the shorter the man, the more fiery his personality. Having seen how much Hiroto has changed over the years from a kid into a man, I can only look forward to what lays before him. Today's video is "Cross Game" because it shows off his skill and he does some awesome tapping in this song.

Today's Alice Nine Member: Tora, and Word of the Day!

Greetings readers! So, first of all I'll introduce today's word of the day: kakkoii (かっこいい ). Kakkoii is an adjective most often used to describe men or inanimate objects/situations, but never women. Kakkoii means attractive, cool or stylish, even 'hot,' if used to describe a stylish man. And today's word is the perfect way to describe today's Alice Nine member. Tora is one of the two guitarists in the band, as well as being the second oldest and the tallest member. Tora was born Sept. 17, 1980 as Amano Shinji, and early on learned, like Nao, how to play the bass guitar, before switching to the electric guitar. He is also rumored to play piano. Among other things, Tora loves spending time with his cat Chikin, who was the subject of a photoshoot for one of the major Jrock magazines last month. Tora is one of three members who smokes, the only member who has kept his facial piercing (the stud under his lip) and is the only member to have any visible tattoos (the heartagram thing on his index finger), though he is rumored to have another on his chest, which he never shows. Tora is a big fan of the band Korn, has a specific cat/tiger symbol that he goes by which is now on his amps, and his favorite colors are said to be black and white. My personal opinion of Tora is the strong, silent type that's just a little quirky, but hides it most of the time; he also seems like the most manly of the group, but that's just my own opinon.

Despite his cool, seemingly hard rock appearance (he has had the wildest hairstyles of all the members), Tora is unfailingly dedicated both to his work and to his fans. As I previously mentioned, in 2008, he suffered from a herniated disc in his back that kept him from being able to perform at many concerts, thus halting the progress of the band. Even so, there were times when he would perform without feeling in his arms, until finally, at the urging of the other members, he went into the hospital, where he had to sleep sitting up because laying down caused him too much pain. Even so, he worked hard at his physical therapy to be able to return to the stage and fulfill the bands promises to their fans. Shou mentioned, regarding that time, that it was quite scary to hear Tora actually voicing his discomfort, because Tora was the type who bore everything without complaint, who was hardworking and didn't let anything set him back, thus all the members were terribly worried when he finally admitted to the troubles he was having. Even so, Tora has made a recovery and is back being the amazing guitarist he is, working hard to show his love to his fans through music. Today's song is the strong, catchy "White Prayer." I don't love the two-tone mohawk that Tora's sporting in this vid, but all the same, I think the nice melody mixed with the great guitar parts fit Tora, so, enjoy!

Today's Alice Nine Member: Nao

Okay, so, in honor of Nao-sama's 29th birthday (no way on earth he actually looks his age), he is our first featured alice nine member, and he gets an entry all to himself. Nao was the creator of the band, alice nine, and before being in a9, was actually part of a band called Fatima for two years. Not only is he the creator of the band, but he is also the leader and the oldest. Nao was born July 31, 1980 as Murai Naoyuki (Naoyuki being his first name). He led a band in high school before moving on to bigger and better things, and in fact played bass in a band called Rush before finally settling on his current instrument, which is drums. While certainly not acting as the most mature member of the group, Nao is undoubtedly an integral part to what keeps Alice Nine together, showing his love for his fellow bandmates and helping them smooth over any differences that might crop up. The love between them has won Nao such nicknames as Winnie the Pooh and Pooh san for his general, blundering optimism. Nao has come to be known by his favorite, and often used, Japanese emoticon: (´┏_┓｀).

Despite being the oldest member, Nao just barely scrapes by being the shortest, beating Hiroto by a mere three inches which puts him at around 170 cm. At heart, Nao is nothing more than an anime nerd (an otaku) and freely admits to spending his days off in Akihabara, the electronic mecca of Tokyo, home to any anime or manga merchandise one could ever hope to find. Somewhat surprisingly, Nao has quite a taste for ardent spirits and has a treasured black goblet that he uses to enjoy his drinks in, tasting only of the finest and most expensive liquors. The only love he bears greater than that felt for his fans would assuredly be his unrelenting passion for Starbucks coffee, or any coffee drink in general, and the evidence of which is often to be seen on his blog. While being an outstanding drummer, what Nao really brings to the band is his never failing smile and his pure, unpretentious good naturedness.

Today's video is the alice nine video that most fits my perception of Nao's personality: Shunkashuutou.

Today's Band: (drumroll please)........Alice Nine!!!!

So naturally I'm flipping out. I just got the best news of the year when I happened to check Alice Nine's official homepage. They have, in fact, signed on to be at Vrock Fest '09 on that Saturday and I cannot honestly tell you how happy this makes me. I could just die. So, of course, alice nine will be today's band. And perhaps tomorrows, who knows. But before I go off on a huge paragraph about that, I have a housing update. The company has finally placed me with a family! They have two daughters (middle and high school) and a dog. The only bad news is, the family is a 60 min. train ride...from the college, which means a two hour ride to Tokyo which makes me sad. All the same, at least now I know something! And the company is giving me a one month grace period to complain and switch families, which is also nice. Anyways, so on to alice nine!

Alice Nine formed in 2004, beginning with eldest, and the official leader, Nao and progressing from there, though most were in other bands at the time of Alice Nine's creation. The young band first released two singles, selling only a set number of copies and thus, selling out, which paved the way for their first tour with fellow band (also will be at the Fest) ayabie. Shortly after, though the band was not yet a year old, they were signed under the major label PSC. The very next year, they held their first one-man (solo) concert, which was recieved well, and they showed no signs of slowing down. They continued in success, even performing in LA at the Jrock Revolution concert created by X-Japan's Yoshiki. To date they have had numerous photobooks, live DVDs , singles and full albums, as well as being regulars on all the Jrock magazines. The band suffered one setback in 2008, after kicking off their tour, when Guitarist Tora suffered from a cervical disk hernia that left him in excruciating pain and suffering from bouts of numbness. Necessarily, many of the tour dates were cancelled while the other members kept fans informed via their blogs, but in a relatively short amount of time, Tora made a recovery and they got back to business. This August they are preparing to release the single "Hana," as well as hold the last concert on their Vandalism tour, "Vandalism-Finale-," and will also be releasing another photobook to commemorate these past five years together. I think I've jabbered enough for now, and I haven't even talked about the members yet, so we're going to take a brief sabatical from the Today's Band series and do, you guessed it, an Alice Nine series for five days. Anyway, the members of alice nine are: Shou (Vocals), Nao (Drums), Tora and Hiroto (Guitar) and Saga (Bass). Today's video is Rainbows. Please excuse Shou's outfit and ridiculous glasses, and enjoy!

華 is OUT!!

I hadn't really intended on posting tonight, but I just have to share this goodness with the world. Enjoy!!

Word of the Day/Week

I'm going to try doing this as often as I can. I'll introduce a word in Japanese that I think might be useful for you guys to know.

Word of the Day/Week: Nukumori (n)、温もり

Nukumori means warmth, and you will probably hear it often used in Japanese pop and rock songs. It is often used in phrases like 'Kimi no nukumori' (Your warmth) or 'Te no nukumori' (The warmth of your hand), and expresses a sort of, kindness or fondness often in one's memory. While it does mean literal warmth, it goes beyond that to often mean the warmth of the person it's connected to.

In other news, I wanted to wish Shou from alice nine., a belated Happy Birthday (because we all know he reads English little known blogs). Even so,　誕生日おめでとうございます！ They tell me he's 28 now, and still looking freaking amazing, if I may say so myself. Well, catch y'all later!